1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to flashlights generally and more particularly to high-reliability, reasonably cost, compact, disposable-type flashlights that may be energized by applying a compressive force to a case of the flashlight.
2. Prior Art
Compact, disposable-type flashlights have been available for some time, are well known and in wide use today.
One early disposable-type flashlight is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,796,869. Manual compression of a flexible case of this instrument presses an end of a switch wire against an uninsulated sidewall of a battery to complete an electrical circuit with a bulb of this flashlight.
A further disposable-type flashlight is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,510. This flashlight includes a retainer to hold a pair of oppositely positioned batteries. A positive terminal of one of the batteries fits into an opening in one leg of an L-shaped switch member. Another leg of the switch may be pressed against an uninsulated wall of the other battery to complete an electrical circuit between the bulb and batteries.
A more recent disposable-type flashlight is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,352 issued to the inventor of the therein disclosed instrument. In this last flashlight one lead wire from a bulb of the flashlight is formed into a switch. Compression of a case of the flashlight engages this lead wire with a strap fitted about batteries of the flashlight to complete an electrical circuit and energize the bulb.